Georgie Gardner - flattering a rectangle body shape

Please note that this post is not about the presenter Georgie nor about the brands of the clothes she wears.

It's about how to flatter (or not flatter) a particular body shape with the lines and details of your clothes. 

Georgie is the model, not the object of the post.  

Georgie's body shape

Georgie Gardner has a rectangular body shape. Some may argue she is an hourglass & certainly that would be my second choice - but I believe she has too thick a torso compared to the rest of her body to be a true hourglass. 

I also have a feeling she has a broad upper body which adds to a chunky upper half. 

She also has a large head compared to her body & that makes the body stand out as a stick like shape. Think more rectangle. 

This picture #1 is a good one to start off with. Notice how the ruching/draping, the print & the necklace virtually disappear into the background. 

Add to it that it's a soft fabric and all you see is the column shape of the body because there is nothing in the dress that can alter that shape to anything else. She may as well be in a shift dress.  

#1

Next, take a dress with visible diagonal lines and an open neckline, #2. Both these aspects break the rectangle pattern & cause the eye to move side to side. 

Can you see the difference in how this flatters her better than the first photo?

#2

There is no photo #3.

The next two photos #4 & #5, are standard for Georgie. Soft blouses tucked into a dark bottom. 

In this case the soft blouses have a cape like horizontal ruffle which breaks some of the rectangle shape. However it creates almost a top heavy look, without necessarily having big boobs. 

Her upper body walks into the room before she does. The lower body looks boring. It may look nice to alot of people but it's no where near as nice as it could be. The eye doesnt travel upward to her face until late in the piece. The eye travels everywhere else first. That's not a good look. Can you see that? 

#4

#5

The next photo #6 is much better. 

Notice how the top/skirt are the same as before (different colour) but the necklace on the decolletage brings the eye upward immediately? That's what SIA calls good dressing. 

The boring bottom half isnt the focus, nor is her rectangle shape. I repeat, this is good dressing.  

#6

The next photo, #7, is similar to #6 but instead of a blouse, she is wearing a knit tee top & the necklace (or bring detail) sits much higher on the neckline. 

While the colour of #7 is better for her, the grabbiness of #7 shows up her rectangle shape and the breadth of the bling highlights her large head. 

#7

This next photo, #8 is the one which prompted SIA to write this blog. Normally diagonal draping like that is supposed to take the emphasis away from up & down bodies. But this one may be too big (?) and it looks like a sack of potatoes. 

It also looks too heavy in the hemline (it drags the eye down) - let's take it up say 1-2 cm. But the other tragic part is the covered upper body - there is no definition of any curves; its just a straight up & down sack. 

The lesson here is that basic knits really just follow the body at best. Unless they are cut well, if you dont have a waist, a knit will expose that because it doesnt have the body to create a waist for you. In this case, the cut isnt good enough to create a waist for Georgie (& the size may be wrong too). 

#8

Perhaps a solution is to take a woven dress which has its own shape? Witness #9. The break in the colour blue/black brings the eye upward, the indent at the waist gives her an hourglass.

The only crime here is the length. If you take that up by 5 cm, it will be gold. As it is, that large expanse of black swamps her bottom half.  

#9 

Have a look at #10. 
It's woven and has body - it retains its shape. But the black sections give her curves - a waist & hips and the white sections reduce the look of her broad upper body. 

In fact the upper body is broken up beautifully by this dress & the eye travels up to her face. This is what SIA calls good dressing. 

The only issue with this dress is the gold colour - it's not right for her but she is tanned (make up) & gorgeous, so it works. However in a better colour, it would work fantastically.  

#10

The next two photos, #11 & #12, show Georgie with a broken up decolletage. it's a much better look for her rectangle shape than when she wears a high plain neckline. 

#11

#12

Finally, look at some photos where she ditches the high neck line & exposes decolletage. Can you see how that work better to create more harmony with her look? 

#13

The next photo, #14 not only exposes decolletage but also exposes cleavage. SIA is not a fan of cleavage for her day job. 

#14

The next photo #15 looks like the same brand as #14 and is a disaster. Not only is it showing cleavage it looks too small and it makes her torso look like a tree trunk. She almost looks like a lolita.